More revenue, not debt

The debt-limit is approaching yet again and still we continue to spend money without increasing revenue to cover the bills. If America wants to maintain a position of strong leadership in the world, we need, continued investment in sustainable and climate resilient infrastructure such as dams and hydropower, which will make us more energy independent, spur economic growth and create jobs right here in America.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineer and Bureau of Reclamation dams on the Columbia River are operating long beyond their design life. Significant capital is necessary to rehabilitate and modernize these regional powerhouses for reliable operation well into the future. By reinvesting in these assets such as Grand Coulee Dam, John W. Keys III Pump-Generating Plant and John Day Dam, we can use our natural resources wisely to attract more growth businesses like data centers and high-tech manufacturing in a globally competitive environment.

Companies such as BMW, Boeing, Google, Intel, and Apple provide high-paying jobs and contribute to the tax base. Many of these energy intensive businesses are attracted to the area because of clean, low-cost of power from hydropower not found in other regions or countries. However, these old and worn dams need significant investment for reliable operation, capable of withstanding serious cybersecurity threats for additional companies to make long-term investments.

Additionally, as the region considers modernizing the Columbia River Treaty and a highly-responsive Energy Imbalance Market requiring far more carbon-free flexible resources than are present, hydroelectric pumped storage projects could greatly increase operational flexibly and flows in a heavily constrained and taxed river system.

By increasing flows, these projects could greatly benefit ecosystems functions, fish passage, power generation, flood control, agriculture, navigation and firming of over 4,500 MW of intermittent wind energy on Bonneville Power Administration’s transmission system for more predictable use.

Pumped storage could also optimize daily and possibly seasonal over-generation situations in the Northwest and power transfers between the drought-stricken California. This optimization would market more efficient use of our energy and precious water resources, enhance the value of wind generation and provide an alternative to fracked natural gas — a finite “bridge fuel” and the de jour “default option” positioned to replace over 100,000 megawatts of coal-fired plants.

A visionary strategy is necessary to adapt to extreme weather, cyber-attack and seismic events by modernizing and building more resilient water and energy infrastructure. These investments will pay for themselves many times over, grow the economy, create jobs for veterans as we wind down wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, increase revenue and provide for future generations to come.

As our present leadership struggles forward in a stagnant economy continuing to spend with no end in sight, better leadership is needed to realize greater revenue-generating infrastructure investments and prepare our region for change. These opportunities exist now and only require champions to see them through.

We need to look no further than the successes and wealth of our past attributed to the luminaries such as President Kennedy, Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, Senator “Scoop” Jackson, Senator Warren Magnuson, BPA Administrator Charles Luce, and British Columbia Premier W.A.C. Bennett. Using past lessons and thinking long-term to drive our future legacy through the power of the Columbia River, a new chapter of growth and rejuvenation is ready to be born.